Jorhat: Two persons were killed including a 45-year-old scrap collector and an 8-year-old boy after an explosion in Assam’s Jorhat district on Saturday. The blast also led to injuries to two other individuals.

The incident took place in the Raja Maidam area of Jorhat. “Initially, we thought it was an LPG cylinder blast, but later we realized it was something different,” a local resident was quoted as saying as per a local report. He added that they rushed to the spot and found four people injured.

The injured were rushed to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital; however doctors declared two of them dead. The deceased have been identified as Noor Mohammad (45) and Mohammad Iqbal (8), residents of Rajamaidam New Colony in Jorhat. The injured have been identified as Sehnaj Begum (12) and Noorjahan Begum (35).

According to Senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Jorhat, Sibhrajyoti Bora, Noor Mohammad used to collect scrap from various parts of the town. “Locals said Noor was processing the scrap materials with a hammer when the explosion occurred, and children playing nearby were caught in the blast. We are examining the cause of the explosion,” Bora said.

The police further said that they are examining the scrap materials collected by Noor to check whether it had sparked the flames. 

“We are investigating the matter further, and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem,” he said.